Sri Lanka’s growth prospects for 2020 and beyond, depends largely on innovations, inventions and new product development well beyond the existing level of activity.
For a population of a little over 20 million, with still available land, water and native resources, outside the thickly settled south-west coastal belt of the island, development and growth prospects are basically good and sound and the annually increasing, educated labour force await deployment, for employment and rising incomes using a home-grown economic model that is relevant to a small island economy such as Sri Lanka. Our young age group, 20+, literate and trainable, are willing and able to follow new trends and pursue it only if good prospects await their rising expectations for improved incomes and living standards.
One sure way to ensure their rising expectations and fulfilment is to create a climate and enabling environment for innovations and inventions that can lead to new products and processes in various economic activities.
It is time that we think in terms of innovations, inventions and new product and process developments, rather than excessive dependence on imports for most our consumption needs.
School level
This change should be engineered by encouraging creative and innovative thinking from school level onwards with appropriate exposure to science and technology.
Sports and science are meaningful links in school activities to encourage young minds for productive work, self-reliance and enterprise in later years. Science and business clubs can play a pivotal role in encouraging innovation among the young.
Outside organizations such as the recently formed Private Sector Engineer’s Society (PSES) can and should make a crucial contribution to schools and other training institutions to encourage schoolchildren to form clubs at school level and hold workshops, exhibitions and organize tours to inculcate creativity and innovative thinking.
Such meaningfully efforts on the part of professional societies such as PSES, for schools and young age groups is a favourable development in the country and full recognition must be given to such professional efforts.
Engineers who work in private sector organizations, scattered in the country, should co-operate in such efforts as it is a national movement to promote innovations and new inventions in the country.
Well placed
This part of the world belongs to emerging markets and Sri Lanka the island nation in South Asia is well placed, being next to India and on China’s emerging trade routes to Africa, Middle East and Europe, referred to as the ‘One Road One Belt’ trading pattern.
These two giant economies are also prominent members of BRICS, once referred to as the trillion-dollar club in the world economy.
This global setting provides a vibrant economic ecology most favourable to Sri Lankan innovators to eye well beyond its own limited market. In this context, it is perhaps, the sheer visionary ambition that matters most. Besides there are many inspiring management gurus of Asian origin, well versed in management learning and experience to be read into and guided.
A crop of Indians such as C.K. Prahalad, Tarun Khanna and Anil Gupta as well as our own faculty in Post-Graduate Institute (PIM) of Sri Jayawardanapura University are readily available for intellectual leadership and guidance for new thinking in business and productive innovation for the young in Sri Lanka.
The window of opportunity opened by the Private Sector Engineer’s Society (PSES) is indeed a new beginning that must be recognized nationally. It can very well be a precursor for a broad based national movement for productive innovations, leading to entrepreneurial activities and start-ups later.
In the most fundamental sense such a start can lead to countrywide movement among the young, including schoolchildren signifying a fundamental shift of the young minds in our society for new thinking and innovations and in pursuit of entering enterprises to earn high incomes. A new kind of life, free from the grip of self-serving politicians.
PPPs
If designed well and implemented effectively, the program and its activities in schools and elsewhere by the PSES, will capture the attention and imagination of our young people.
What is perhaps needed most in this context is an exposure of the youth to new ideas, guided by professional leadership in a organized manner.
The children in the middle schooling years as well as school leavers, are good prospects for exposure to new ideas for creative innovation and orientation.
Recognition
They clamour for recognition, value pride, and are generally achievement-oriented.
If there is proper recognition of their success, their enthusiasm would be forthcoming.
Social recognition backed by professional commitment can make a big difference.
It is here that public-private partnerships can make a substantial contribution to what PSES hopes to do.
Let us hope that engineers and those engaged in related professions join in a nationwide promotion for innovation and new product development.
Many young engineers working in private sector organizations contribute much with their innovative minds. Sometimes these new creative ideas tend to be limited to particular organization.
They do not come to the outside world and neither do they receive the recognition they well deserve, but remain hidden in that organization.
The PSES focusing on this issue supporting young engineers to take their innovations to the national level and lead them to link with new business opportunities, and create new employment opportunities for the young in the labour force, who fail to enter universities.
The effective leadership that PSES proposes can help schools to play pivotal role, utilizing the formative years of youth in our country.